Speak, Live, Love
by LostOneLawliet
Summary: "Mother, Daddy gave me away today." Sequel to "Losing to the Grey", because I felt that one was needed. Some ShigurexAkito. Please R&R.


The sakura are in bloom, powdery pale pink bursts of petals blanketing the ground, sprinkling over the decorations, the makeshift altar, the tent. Laughter and song fill the air as the festivities grow stronger, louder, promising to its guests to wear far into the night. Busy maids bring more platters heavily laden with the feast and the main house wil be drained of its wine supply tonight.

The groom is ever-smiling, chatting happily with anyone and everyone. The bride, encased in white, can hardly be seen amongst the people crowding her. Her grin is familiar, nearly canine. Her charming grey eyes shine brighter than the stars clustering in the majestic purple sky overhead.

"She's beautiful." The words shatter the silence, drawing the father of the bride from his reverie. He hadn't noticed the other man until he had sat beside him. The new arrival sits with two glasses clutched in one hand and a bottle of sake under his arm.

"I know," he responds, adjusting his glasses slightly. "Like her mother."

The other man smiles, bittersweet. "Are you mad?" He pours the glasses and hands one to him. Grey eyes settle on the drink for a moment before he takes it from him, bringing it to his lips and indulging himself until the small glass is empty. He sets it down beside him and tilts his head back, watching the moon. "No," he decides. Their feud had seamlessly and silently repaired, twenty-four years ago in a hospital room as frail heartbeats echoed in his ears, his and his alone. He closes his eyes. "I will put it aside for Akina's sake."

Shigure is still spry, still youthful, still handsome. The only difference seems to be a few extra gray streaks in his hair, lighter than its natural color, forged earlier than he would have liked, and a crease here and there when he smiles. He goes back to watching his daughter, envisioning his life without her in it, in the arms and home of some young man. Kazuo is kind, putting others before himself, occasionally appearing as the submissive but caring type, and he bonds well with Akina's personality. The bride is laughing now, her arm hooked with Kazuo's as they draw nearer; the two men rise to greet them. The couple is so unbelievably happy that Shigure can't help but smile himself, and he knows without looking that the man next to him is smiling, too. Akina grins and pulls from her newlywed's grasp. Shigure smiles and begins to put out his arms when, to his surprise, she goes to the other man first, circling his waist in a big hug.

"Kure-san, can you believe it? You're my second daddy now." Her grey eyes are bright as she looks up to him and Shigure looks to the side, seeing Akito standing in her place. He looks to Kazuo instead, though the boy resembles Kureno in such a way that it's easy to confuse the two, even when they were standing so closely. The boy smiles and puts out his hand, and Shigure reaches to shake it. It's awkward and he can feel the groom's sweaty hand trembling nervously. Perhaps an after-effect of Shigure's first "Dad-to-Boyfriend" talk with the boy, who has since then been timid and fidgety in his presence. It brings a grin to Shigure's face and the boy relaxes as they break apart. Akina continues to chatter away to Kureno, mood a bit looser with all the alcohol coming and going throughout the place.

"Your first time may be a bit slurred if she keeps on like that," Shigure chuckles fondly, and the boy's cheeks redden slightly as he smiles back, rubbing his hair down. "Ah…" he begins, and Akina suddenly latches onto his arm once more, sticking her tongue out playfully at her father with a wink. "It's gonna be weird anyway, on the kitchen table and all," she giggles, shrugging. Shigure lifts a brow, not particularly liking the thought of his daughter being ravaged by some young boy in a place that he may very well eat at someday. "Perhaps you should choose a softer place, like a bed," he says, smirking slightly. The girl smirks back, rising to his challenge of taunting. "We have to break in the new home somehow, Daddy, and the dining room is easiest to get to when you walk in. Kazuo says he's going to do dirty things to me all night and there's nothing you can do about it."

"A-Aki!" Kazuo stutters. Akina laughs and pecks him on the cheek. Shigure can't help but smile, too. The girl looks up to her groom with loving eyes and then to Kureno. "Kure-san, I'm going to steal Daddy from you." Without another word, she takes Shigure's hand, dashing off as she holds her skirts up with her other hand, laughing. Shigure stumbles along after her, chuckling lightly. He knows the direction she's heading; he's trodden the path so many times, day after day.

Akina slows as they enter the area, donning respectful steps as she pulls her father to Akito's grave, more of a monument itself with special holders for incense and a display of blooming bushes all around it, sprouting beautiful red blossoms. There has never been a ceremony when they come together before the grave; simply raw feeling. Akina places a hand upon the smooth stone, her new ring glittering in the moonlight. She smiles softly, bowing her head.

"Mother, Daddy gave me away today," she says quietly. "Kazuo is still afraid of him. Everything is like it should be, though I wish you could have seen it. Daddy always told me how you loved me very much, even before I was born. I believe him…"

She lifts her head and turns to Shigure, smiling. "Daddy always told me that he loved you more than anything in this world. I used to ask him when I was growing up if he would get married again, so I could have a mommy like other kids, and he always grew silent for a moment before telling me that he just couldn't. Thinking back on it, I see what he means. I love Kazuo more than anything, too. I want to be with him, always… and after this wonderful day, I don't think I could ever turn to anyone else. I love him so dearly." She turns back to the grave and smiles brightly. "Daddy used to bring me here when I was little and point at the stone, then tell me, 'Aki, this is your mother.' I didn't understand that, either. I told him, 'No, that's a rock.' But after watching Daddy come here every day and place a flower at your grave, I know. Daddy is always here by your side. I hope that Kazuo and I will stay together through life and death like you two have. I love you, Mother." She sighs gently and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath and looking to Shigure once more, revealing shimmering grey orbs as she places a hand upon the very top of the grave, running her hand over the tin y characters etched in the stone. "Though I can never compete with Daddy." Her finger traces the words as she reads them from memory with small substitutions, keeping her eyes on her father's. "He cares about you, more than he cares about anyone else. He loves you… and that is the honest and unshakeable truth." As the characters end, her hand slips from the grave.

For a moment, Shigure is silent, blinking slightly behind his glasses as he watches his little girl confess the extremity of her love before her mother's grave. He smiles slightly, moving to one of the bushes around Akito's grave and picking a flower with practiced ease. He goes back to her, brushes aside her hair and slips it behind her ear, kissing her forehead softly. "Go on," he says quietly, ushering her along with a hand on her back. "Leave the old man to his thoughts. Kazuo is waiting on you." The girl begins to protest but holds her tongue, giving him a soft smile before leaving him alone to the grave. He sits upon an old white bench, placed there long ago when his long daily meditations began. He swears he can feel Akito's arms circling his neck, her soft cheek pressed against his back gently. How he misses that feel, that entirety. He lives for Akina now. He cannot return to Akito, not yet. For now he will stay by her body's side for as long as he can. The incense will burn brighter and the camellias will bloom again and again. He saturates himself in the scent as he lights the incense sticks once more.

"Soon," he whispers to the grave in promise. The wind moves, tousling his hair, reassuring him. He gives a slight smile, moves to his knees before the grave, and speaks, lives, loves.

He's touched on the shoulder midway through his speech and he looks up, startled, into his ex-enemy's eyes. A smile touches Kureno's lips and he bows his head, kneeling down beside him. Beginning to protest, guarding his time alone with her, he stops and gives in, moving over just enough to allow him space on the small raised platform. Kureno says his piece smoothly and evenly. His gentle tone still ruffles the ex-dog's nerves, but after awhile there is a peace that sifts over the two, calming those nerves, fixing that bond. The blossoms do not wilt and the incense does not stop burning. The words etched in stone do not fade.

Years later, there is a grave directly aside Akito's. A young boy toddles around to it, touching it with his tiny hands, staring at the name with no comprehension. A grey-eyed girl comes behind the boy, kneeling on the small platform behind him and pointing to the characters. "This is your grandpa, Akio."

The boy's eyebrows furrow slightly and he places a hand to the grave, looking up at his mother with confused eyes. "Is not," he says adamantly. "This is a rock."


End file.
